We recommend that each and every case observed be recorded, to enable the true extent of human dirofilariasis in Italy to be assessed, and that a reference centre be set up in the area to collate the data. The importance of the histopathologist's role in the diagnosis is stressed.

Differentiating mesothelioma, reactive mesothelium, and adenocarcinoma in serous effusions is often difficult, despite the application of ancillary techniques in support of the traditional cytomorphologic criteria. A polyclonal antimesothelial-cell antibody recently developed by our group was evaluated as a histogenetic marker on a series of primary (n = 12) and metastatic (n = 12) malignant effusions. Immunostaining was performed on paraffin sections from cell blocks. All mesothelioma effusions stained positive for the antibody, whereas, in contrast, all metastatic carcinoma specimens failed to react. These results (100 percent specificity and 100% sensitivity for mesothelioma) provide a basis for a reliable use of the antibody in the cytologic examination of suspicious or malignant serous effusions.

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Purpose: To assess whether asbestos fibers may be observed in liver tissue of patients with cholangiocarcinoma (CC) with environmental or working asbestos exposure. Methods: Detection of fibers was performed directly on histologic sections of liver from 7 patients with CC using optical microscope and variable pressure scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy-dispersive spectroscopy (VP-SEM/EDS). All patients were from Casale Monferrato, Italy, a highly asbestos-polluted town. Due to ethical constraints, observers were blinded to patients’ clinical features. Results: Fibers/bundles of fibers of chrysotile were detected in 5 out of 7 patients (71%). The boundary between healthy and neoplastic tissue or the fibrocollagen tissue produced by the neoplasia were identified as areas of fiber incorporation. Conclusions: This study is the first report about the detection of chrysotile asbestos fibers in the liver of patients with CC. Further studies on larger cohorts are needed to corroborate our preliminary findings.

Adenomatoid tumour is a benign rare lesion of the female genital tract, localised in the wall of fallopian tubes or beneath the uterine serosa. It is often accompanied by smooth muscle proliferation, obscuring the presence of adenomatoid tumour, resulting in misdiagnosis of cellular leiomyoma.Here, a case of uterine serosal adenomatoid tumour associated with multiple leiomyomas and pelvic endometriosis in a 44-year-old woman who underwent surgical removal for uterine bleeding and abdominal pain is presented.